1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to transporting water across a road and, more particularly, to a modular ramp apparatus with integral water carrying chambers therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 1,736,923 (LaLonde) discloses a hose coupling and a hose for supplying both water and oxygen for firemen. The hose comprises a pair of concentric hoses with water being conveyed in the inner hose and oxygen conveyed between the outer and inner hoses. The particular coupling disclosed allows lengths of the concentric hoses to be connected together.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,530 (Walling) discloses flexible tubing used in well production. The tubing includes a flexible external shell and a resilient core within the shell, with a plurality of conduits within the resilient material. The tubing is segmented so as to be easily wound about a reel for transporting to and from a well site. The configuration of the apparatus is generally rectangular.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,367 (Wegmann, Jr.) discloses a safety ramp for protecting hoses in conduits. The ramp includes a channel running lengthwise in which is disposed a hose.
U.S. Pat. 5,353,843 (Hoag) discloses a protective jacket in which abose may be disposed. The protective jacket is segmented, to allow the jacket, and the hose disposed therein, to curve or bend, as required.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,431 (Topf, Jr.) discloses a flow conduit for transporting water across a road. Water flows into a metal pipe configured with two sloping sides and a flat top and bottom, with the pipe disposed across a road. Connector elements on opposite ends of the pipe allow hoses to be connected to the pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,527 (Dufresne), the inventor of which is the inventor of the present invention, discloses ramp and piping for transporting water across a road. The piping comprises a plurality of conduits with headers at opposite ends of the conduits for connecting to hoses. Ramps are connected to the conduits to facilitate traffic across the conduits. Australian Patent 104,986 discloses a hose bridge for protecting a hose.
British Patent 530,667 also discloses a hose bridge. The two hose bridges are structurally different, but both provide the fiction of protecting a hose.
British Patent 1,327,659 discloses protective bumpers disposed about a flexible hose for protecting the hose from traffic.
Of the above discussed patents, the Wegmann '367, the Hoag '843, and the Australian and British '667 patent all deal with the protection of hoses from traffic. The Lalonde patent is concerned with the flow of two fluids, water and oxygen, in a hose, and the Walling '530 patent is concerned with flexible tubing used in wells. The British '659 patent is concerned with the protection of a flexible hose in situations where there is relative movement in the hoses or lines, such as hydraulic brake fluid lines, etc. The Topf, Jr. and Dufresne patents deal with the same subject matter as the present invention, namely the flow of water across a road with minimum problems with traffic and with maximum water flow without the problems of hoses and of water surges of hoses over which vehicular traffic moves.
The apparatus of the present invention is concerned with the transmission of a fluid, such as water, across a street or thoroughfare during construction, and the like, where traffic moves along the street or thoroughfare. The present apparatus includes a modular unit including an integral ramp and fluid carrying elements and which protects both the fluid as it is being transported, and vehicular traffic moving along the street or thoroughfare. The apparatus includes modules of extruded piping or conduits made of rubber or the like with male and female connections on opposite ends for connecting a plurality of like modules so that the length of piping or conduits may vary according to the width of the street or thoroughfare.